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Guarantee your work

04-24-2011, 07:37 PM

what would you do if you went to unclog a shower drain that a previous plumber came out to unclog just 4 months ago...

..You unclog the drain by snaking and then explain to the owner that there may be more going on in the pipe and that is why the clog keeps coming back. for an additional fee you can camera the line and suggest a plan of action.

the owner denies your suggestions cause he doesnt want to pay anymore then the normal service fee.

knowing that there is potential buildup in the pipe how long do you guarantee the clear shower drain?

Comment

nothing is going to last forever. depending on the pipe material, age and track record, would dictate the course of action.

waste pipes are like arteries and cholesterol. plastic is the easiest to keep clean and gal steel with durham is the most difficult to keep clean.

i never go head over heals unless i have a track record there or the customer has a track record. i document everything and then use my records to make an educated decision on any future coarse of action.

I show the customer the end of my cable, how I've got it bent like a whip in two spots, so when it makes a revolution inside the pipe, it scours the walls of the pipe.

I tell them the cable is turning in a clockwise motion the entire time the machine is running, whether I'm in forward or reverse.

I tell them before I even start, that I need cooperation from everyone in the house to run water from all fixtures. I explain that we need to get everything that was sitting in the pipes out to the main sewer and make it the city's problem at that point, not yours.

I then consistently tell the customer to "keep flushing" and running water for 15-20 minutes. If they stop before then, I say,

"Water is surely cheaper than a plumber in matters like these" and if they don't continue to keep flushing and running water, it's on them entirely.

I reference one analogy that works quite well to get them to understand the logic of constantly running water the first chance the drain starts to open, and long after I've pulled the cable out of the drain.

All the steps above are first witness to my customer, and asking questions, educating them on what black sewage means has lined up the story line.

Drilling them for information usually says more about your logic into the drain. If you're not asking, you're shooting blind.

I always ask if there was company recently, any feminine products, anyone using the plumbing like a garbage can.

Evidently this method above ^^^^ sets me apart greatly from 'the last guy' and my insistence and the very fact I told them to run water is so unusual from the last plumber/drain cleaning company, and I know why.

If someone asks about a guarantee, I tell them "I run cables in drains every day. What brought me to your home tells me you have a problem with your piping." Age of the piping, how difficult it was removing the clog, varying possibilities are all things I cannot control. If it was to back up in a few days... then yes; I'll come back out at a second shot but I've never been in that boat. I tell them the facts on the first visit, not putting a whole lot of weight into the last guy's statement about the drains. There's a reason why they didn't call him, for whatever reason that might be.

Act like a professional and tell them the truth and you'll never go wrong and most times, never get sidestepped.

You cannot control the actions of another and not every customer is perfect, but the majority are decent people and all they want is their monies worth for the service provided. Too many don't offer that, which can result in double spending which they are trying to avoid.

Comment

It's kind of difficult to guarantee drain cleaning. If it was only a few days later, yes I would go back, but if I discover that something was flushed down the drain that caused the new blockage, I would definitely charge for it. The fact that most people are careless with what goes down the drain is why it's hard to guarantee work. What if you clear a stoppage and a few feminine products are flushed and there is a new blockage after a few days, or a bowl of pasta is sent through the disposal....you get a new blockage and it has nothing to do with the original blockage you cleared.

It's kind of one of those "case by case" things, but for he most part, there is no guarantee from me on drain cleaning.

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Love it when a customer asks what the warranty on their 60 yr. sewer I just snaked.." I just say forever" ..They get all smiles" Are you serious forvever...then I tell em ' " Are you crazy" imagine how well you would treat that sewer if I gave you that deal...

''Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" Benjamin Franklin

Comment

I never understood why people insist on charging extra for the camera. I can understand charging for burning a DVD, but you are losing money every time you don't camera a line. Plus how do you know you are doing a good job, if your not inspecting it after you snake the line? The camera will pays for itself many times over if you just USE it. There is always a reason a line clogged up, and its not always cause someone flushed the wrong thing down the drain. Sometimes its a broken hub or pipe, or a belly. Only way to know for sure is to sent the camera down the drain. Then you sell the repair, thats how you make money with a camera, by using it to lead to other repairs that need to be done. Being T&M doesn't hurt either, cause I don't stop the clock tell I'm leaving the job site.

Comment

I never understood why people insist on charging extra for the camera. I can understand charging for burning a DVD, but you are losing money every time you don't camera a line. Plus how do you know you are doing a good job, if your not inspecting it after you snake the line? The camera will pays for itself many times over if you just USE it. There is always a reason a line clogged up, and its not always cause someone flushed the wrong thing down the drain. Sometimes its a broken hub or pipe, or a belly. Only way to know for sure is to sent the camera down the drain. Then you sell the repair, thats how you make money with a camera, by using it to lead to other repairs that need to be done. Being T&M doesn't hurt either, cause I don't stop the clock tell I'm leaving the job site.

very true Will, The microreel kicks butt cause its so compact and light weight, I sold two pipe replacements ($7k total) after cameraing the line and showing the homeowner the problem. these were simple drain clogs that previous plumbers just came out, ran their snake and collected a measly draincleaning fee. if only they camerad they would have been able to upsell.

on the other hand i understand the "wear and tear" the camera can go thru if you are using it all the time, the key is to convert a high percentage of those jobs. We already broke our 200' southcoast reel cause it got stuck about 75' in the line, we ended up yanking it hard enough that the wires inside the spring head snapped, gonna cost money to get it fixed.

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The camera I bought has a bumper to bumper 2 year warranty. If it doesn't pay for itself ten times over in that time I'm doing something wrong. I don't buy into the "wear and tear" thing, then I'm the one using the camera. Not some technician that didn't pay for it and doesn't take care of it.

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I think since I bought Ridge pipe wrenchs and alot of other Ridge tools they should give me a camera for free. I mean if my customers only promise to do business with me I'm expected to give a free camera job......I've actually bought stuff from Ridge. I think i deserve it and the Bright minds at Ridge should do business the way some of these guys on this thread do.